


Painting the TARDIS Blue

by dragonwings948



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Fun, Laughter, Male-Female Friendship, Painting, Post-Serial: s149 The Happiness Patrol, Serial: s149 The Happiness Patrol, Silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:06:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24815038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonwings948/pseuds/dragonwings948
Summary: Toward the very end of The Happiness Patrol, Ace and the Doctor have a job to do before they leave...
Relationships: Seventh Doctor & Ace McShane
Comments: 12
Kudos: 16





	Painting the TARDIS Blue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my 100th fic on here!!!!! *cue party noises*
> 
> Honestly, it's crazy to think that I've written that much! But hey, as long as I can keep bringing smiles to people's faces, I'll keep doing it. :) 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy Seven and Ace how they should be, with NO ANGST WHATSOEVER. You're welcome. XD

“Why do _we_ have to do this?” Ace groaned as the Doctor handed her a bucket of blue paint.

“Because everyone else is busy destroying the remnants of Helen A.’s regime,” the Doctor replied, throwing in a few rolled “r’s.”

“I’d rather be doing that,” Ace sighed as she slapped the first bit of paint on the startlingly pink TARDIS. “At least we’re not keeping it pink. I was a bit worried when you said you liked it.”

“I _do._ But I’ve had quite enough of pink for now.”

“You can say that again.” Ace looked up at the police box and compared its large form to the tiny section of paint she’d already slathered on. “This is going to take _ages,_ Professor!”

His head poked out from around the other side of the TARDIS. “Not if you put your mind to it.” He gestured to his side and Ace rounded the box.

“What?” she exclaimed as she saw that his side was already entirely blue. She gawked at the sight for only a moment before turning on him. “Come on, Professor, you cheated!”

He smiled. “I simply did more working than talking.”

Ace shook her head. It was impossible that he could have accomplished so much already, but apparently he was determined not to admit to whatever game he was playing.

Forming an idea in her head, Ace turned back to admire his handiwork and nodded. “It looks all right. Missed a spot, though.”

The Doctor’s eyebrows immediately knitted together, his eyes widening like she had insulted him. “What? No I didn’t!”

“You don’t see it?” Ace stepped forward and pretended to study a nonexistent patch of pink. “Right…there.” She backed away, letting the Doctor take her place. She dipped her finger in her paint bucket and pressed her lips together to keep from making a sound.

“Ace, do we need to get your eyes checked? There’s nothing—”

But just then Ace reached out and smeared blue paint across the Doctor’s cheek. She instantly burst into laughter, amazed that she’d actually gotten away with it.

The Doctor turned his head slowly, fixing her with a hard stare and a tremendous frown. One of his eyebrows rose in challenge. Ace tried to stifle her giggles. He wasn’t _actually_ mad…was he?

Expression unchanged, the Doctor bent over and picked up his bucket of paint. For a moment Ace thought he was just going to go back to painting, but then he looked at her with a telltale gleam in his eye.

“You—you wouldn’t get paint on my jacket, would you?” Ace’s laughter went from joyous to nervous as she backed away from him, holding her hand out behind her in case she—

Ace paused as her hand was immersed in something gooey. _In case she bumped into anything._

The Doctor grinned, that smile he always wore when he knew he had gained the upper hand. Ace brought her hand in front of her face, knowing before she even saw it that it would be covered in blue paint.

“All right, you win,” she admitted. She turned to look at the handprint she’d made on the side of the TARDIS, the impression revealing some of the pink paint underneath the Doctor’s fresh layer of blue.

The Doctor stepped forward with his paintbrush extended toward the anomaly.

“Wait!” Ace said. “You should leave it there. It…I dunno, it adds character or something.”

The Doctor straightened up and lowered his paintbrush, giving the handprint a thoughtful frown. “You know, I do believe you’re right.”

Ace smiled, still looking at the handprint. Now she knew that no matter where he went—

Her thoughts halted abruptly as something cool and thick swiped across her cheek. She turned just in time to see the Doctor withdraw his fingertips dripping with paint.

Then Ace began laughing again, and the Doctor joined in.

And for the first time since they had arrived, they truly were happy.

**Author's Note:**

> (Gold star if you can figure out where I got the title from!)


End file.
